The LG G8 ThinQ can scan your veins

MWC 2019 is a whirlwind for flagship smartphone announcements. And amidst it, we got to see what LG has in store for the upcoming year. A yearly refresh to LG’s flagship G-series is pretty standard business. But there’s a hint of unique to it with its ability to scan veins and gesture support.

Two variants

With more smartphone manufacturers catering to a flagship experience at different price tags, two smartphones from LG is hardly a surprise. We get the LG G8 ThinQ flagship as well as the LG G8s ThinQ with more toned down specifications. The G8 ThinQ comes with a 6.1-inch Quad HD+ AMOLED display and a primary triple camera configuration. We will see a 12MP standard lens alongside a 12MP telephoto lens and a 16MP ultra-wide lens. Interestingly, certain markets of this phone will only get a dual primary camera setup.

Some markets will receive a dual-camera variant of the LG G8 ThinQ (via LG)

As for battery capacity, the phone will come with a 3,500mAh one and 18W quick charging 3.0 support. With its premium Gorilla Glass 5 and aluminium structure, the device will be able to facilitate wireless charging too and comes completely with IP68 water and dust resistance as well as MIL-STD 810G compliance.

LG’s G8s ThinQ has much of the same specifications including wireless charging and IP68 water and dust resistance. But the screen size, battery capacity and camera configuration is different. On the G8s ThinQ, you find a larger 6.2-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display and a 3,550mAh battery. The camera also sees a downgrade with a 12MP standard lens, a 13MP wide-angle lens and a 12MP telephoto lens.

Processing power

Like all 2019 flagship smartphones, there are no sacrifices from LG in this department. Both phones feature the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 octa-core processor clocked at 2.84GHz and Adreno 640 GPU. In terms of software, we are looking at the latest Android 9.0 under LG’s skin.

The LG G8 ThinQ will sport a 128GB storage variant with 6GB RAM whereas the G8s ThinQ will come with a 64GB and 128GB storage variant with 6GB RAM. Both phone capacities can be expanded via micro-SD card up to 512GB. Unfortunately, neither phone comes with the new 5G network speed support.

How are gestures new?

Both LG G8 variants come with a notch-style display which houses a dual-camera setup. There is an 8MP selfie camera alongside a TOF (time of flight) 3D camera that has a feature called Hand ID. This reads the thickness and other characteristics of the veins in your palm to unlock the phone. Aside this, the phones sport a secure three-dimensional Face unlock and the hardware fingerprint scanner at the back.

Gestures to control the phone are unique but will they become essential? (via Tom’s Guide)

As for gestures, LG has implemented air gestures called Air Motion. Waving your hand above the phone activates this and you can carry out a number of different tasks. Waving to take calls, controlling volume or taking screenshots are among some of the features it brings.

Pricing and availability

It is likely that LG’s G8 ThinQ and G8s ThinQ will first hit shelves in its native South Korea. Unfortunately, LG has not released much information about the international pricing and availability of the phone. And as a result, we are not sure when the phone will hit the local market. All we know for now is that it will come in a red, black and blue finish.